Is Armie Hammer Heir to Arm & Hammer? There's a Family Connection

American actor Armie Hammer is back in the news again. Hammer, who many believe to be the heir to the Arm & Hammer brand, was trending in 2021 after being accused of discussing acts of cannibalism in leaked messages. These claims appear to have been backed up by ex-girlfriends who suggested that the messages could be genuine.

Fast forward to February 2023 and Hammer admitted to "being emotionally abusive but maintains that his sexual encounters were consensual," Vulture shared. One women alleges Hammer raped her.

Amid all of these accusations and revelations, Hammer's association with the consumer brand Arm & Hammer has come back into the spotlight. And while Hammer isn't the heir to Arm & Hammer, his family once owned a significant share in the company thanks to great-grandfather Armand Hammer.

Read on for more details on Armand Hammer's connection to the baking soda brand and how it may have benefited Armie financially.

Armand Hammer, born in 1898, was an incredibly successful businessman who ran Occidental Petroleum Corporation. It's often claimed that Armand is the man behind baking soda and cleaning brand Arm & Hammer. However, the Church & Dwight brand first hit shelves 31 years before he was born.

Despite this, Armand was constantly asked if there was a connection between him and the household staple. He was asked this question so often that he attempted to buy Arm & Hammer. While unsuccessful, Occidental acquired enough shares in Arm & Hammer that Armand joined Church & Dwight's board of directors.

While Armand bought a significant part of Arm & Hammer briefly, the joke didn't live long after his death. In January 1991, just a month after Armand's death, Occidental sold its 5.4 percent stake in Arm & Hammer's parent company, Church & Dwight, for $19 million. According to the LA Times, the company sold off $2.2 billion in assets in the months after Armand passed away.

Hammer's net worth is unclear, though he's a direct heir to his great-grandfather's fortune. In 1986, a few years before his death, Forbes reported that Armand was worth $180 million. However, Hammer appeared to have amassed a fortune of his own through acting and brand deals, with some estimates putting Hammer's net worth at $16 million in 2021.

However, in 2023, sources like Celebrity Net Worth say Hammer's net worth now lies somewhere around $100,000. It isn't surprising considering that Hammer hasn't landed any acting gigs lately and was reportedly spotted working at a resort in the Cayman Islands. During a 2023 interview with Air Mail, Vulture says Hammer admitted "I am not only broke, I am massively in debt.”